


The Perils Of Magic

by missema



Series: Kirkwall Tech [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College, F/M, Fluff, Magic, Trapped, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 16:52:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5974672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missema/pseuds/missema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katy prompted: locked in a supernatural/magic room for Sebastian x Hawke</p><p>Sebastian Vael and Melissa Hawke both attend Kirkwall Tech. They know each other, but not well, until they find themselves trapped together. They don't know how long it's going to be, or even where they are, but Sebastian finds Hawke easy to talk to, and starts to wonder what might be for both, if Hawke were free to pursue it.</p><p>A short story before Not A Kiss, but in the same universe. This technically isn't part of the series, but it was fun to write.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perils Of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the prompt Katy! Writing this reminded me of the game Aloners by sonnet009games
> 
> Also, this series is totally a thing now. More Hawke/Sebastian college shenanigans (hopefully) in the future.

There weren't a lot of things at Kirkwall Tech that they weren't supposed to touch. As a research university, there were rules, but a lot more permitted than wasn't. It would have been difficult to account for every eventuality, especially since so many departments dealt with magical items, despite the school not teaching magic. He just hadn't expected that magical items might be sitting on the counter in his science lab.

It wasn't a real stretch for Sebastian Vael when he thought on it, because truly, the odds had been good at some point he was going to get into some shit that was, firstly, not his fault, and second, magic and strange. He was just grateful that he hadn't gotten into this mess alone. There would have been the problem of panicking more, because he was always overly hard on himself when things went wrong when he was alone, and he wouldn't have the pleasure of Melissa Hawke resting against his shoulder. All in all, the last day or so hadn't been terrible.

He just couldn't wait until they'd left this dimension or whatever Maker-forsaken place they were trapped in.

#

Melissa Hawke hadn't been in the science lab for long, but she realized the rest of her group wasn't going to show up. Strictly speaking, there only needed to be one of them to run the trial and observe the results, and she guessed that she'd been nominated. This was just another way in which this class - her last science elective ever - sucked.

There were a few other people around, her TA and another graduate student sitting in a corner, talking to one another. Only one other student was running the trials for their group, and Sebastian gave her a smile when he looked up and saw her. They were in the same class, but not the same group. It was too bad really because from her limited interaction with him before, she liked Sebastian.

Besides asking each other a few questions, like could she watch his things while he went to the bathroom, they didn't really speak to each other. No one else from her group showed, but she hadn't expected them too. They'd be full of excuses and explanations at the next class. Hawke wasn't looking forward to hearing them.

When Sebastian finished his experiments, she heard him beginning to pack up his things into the expensive leather messenger bag that had been resting on a nearby stool. Melissa still had a few more results to wait on, but it hopefully it wouldn't take her more than a half an hour. She stifled a yawn just as Sebastian looked over at her.

"Almost done?" he asked.

"Not long now. I've got about two more results to record," Melissa answered.

Sebastian nodded, picking up a notebook and securing it within his bag. He made to clean up his station, but kept looking over at her. Maybe he didn't want to leave her alone, but it was the middle of the afternoon in the science lab. Someone else would come along.

"Can I see what you have so far?" he asked. She nodded.

He got out his notebook again, and when he flipped open his bag she saw the slender silver laptop within. Sebastian's results would help her check to see if hers were coming out correctly. If not, she'd have to start the whole thing again.

He accidentally swung his arm too wide and pushed an object off the counter. It bounced when it hit the floor, making a dull thudding noise. Sebastian rushed over to pick it up, and she found that she wasn't far behind him. Abandoning her own experiments, Melissa stopped short what she felt was a safe distance away from him. Their teaching assistant was gone, as was the other grad student, and they were alone in the room. No one else had seen him almost break whatever it was. Sebastian picked up the strange object, which looked like an ice cube made of veridium. He held it up and inspected it in the light, and she was transfixed, watching the light glint off the emerald sides.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you, I wasn't hurt," Sebastian said. "And I think this thing, whatever it is, is fine. I thought it might be a weight or something for one of the scales, but I'm not sure. Weights don't make noise, and I can definitely hear something coming from this."

Now that he mentioned it, she could hear it too. It was a low, quick beat, as if someone were playing a steady beat on a bass drum in the distance. Hawke opened her mouth to say it, but then she felt a deep weakness in her chest. The pain was staggering, both draining her will to move and sapping her strength. Maker, it felt like her limbs were being pulled from her torso. She dimly recognized the entropy in the spell, before she passed out.

#

When Sebastian came too, both he and Melissa were laying on the floor. They weren't in any immediate danger, he thought as he looked around the science lab. There was no one else around, but neither were his things. The whole place looked as if no one had been in there all day - no sign of anyone else at all.

Melissa roused as Sebastian went over to her, she looked wan and shaken, but not hurt. He wasn't injured at all, despite the pain he'd felt before he fainted. Whatever that thing was, it had knocked them both out. Sebastian held out a hand to help Hawke up and then looked around the room for the veridium cube. It was gone, but he could feel hear the slow, methodical drum beats.

"This is why Bethany never studied entropy magic. Nothing good ever comes from it," she grumbled. Sebastian held onto her until she was steadier on her feet. 

"Who's Bethany?" he asked.

"My sister. She's a mage. She hates entropy magic, and there was definitely some in that, whatever that green cube was." Melissa stepped away from him, rubbing her temples. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know." He shook his head. It didn't seem like anything had happened, but he was sure that this wasn't quite right.

"It's night," Melissa said, pointing out of the window. Where there had previously been golden afternoon sunshine, there was nothing but clear views of the stars and moons.

"We must have been out for a while," she said, and then shivered. It had to be more of a reaction to the circumstance than the temperature. Whatever wasn't right about this, she was picking up on it too, even if she didn't say it aloud.

Sebastian held an arm out to her, and she took it, moving in close by his side. That they should be careful was unspoken, and he was calmed by her touch. His senses were on full alert, but they moved as one towards the door. Melissa cast a worried glance up at him, and Sebastian struggled to swallow down his nerves. He hoped they could figure this out. 

#

They'd walked together for over an hour after waking, but Melissa still didn't feel like she understood anything any better than she had when she'd gotten up off the floor of the lab. It was desolate here, and it couldn't have been the real college. There was no one else around. Wherever they were, it was a world like theirs, but not the same. It consisted of campus, just campus. They couldn't leave the central part of the school. It kept turning them around inside of it, as if the outside was undefined and out of bounds. There was nothing beyond it. All roads lead back to campus, where it was obvious that it wasn't their reality. She just couldn't work out what reality they were in, or how to get out of it.

There was not a single person anywhere to be found on campus, and the only upside of that was that they hadn't come across any danger either. They'd walked, arm in arm, afraid to let the other go. Lights were constantly on in classrooms and other buildings, but there was no one but them, nor any sign that there had ever been. Not a single soul met them as they roamed through Kirkwall Tech's campus turned into a ghost town. It was just them walking in an eerie silence that only they shattered. Small noises like her clearing her throat or Sebastian rolling up the sleeves on his shirt seemed too loud in their weird surroundings. The urge to run from this place of unnatural stillness built like a desperate fire within her, but there was no place to go. No way home, at least as far as they could tell.

"At least we're not hungry," Sebastian said, as they walked for the third time through the engineering building. He was checking each room this time, making sure that they were alone.

Melissa considered. He was right - she wasn't hungry. Also absent were any of her other natural urges. She didn't feel like she needed sleep, and aside from the sickness she'd felt when initially trapped by the spell, there had been no pain. They simply were, in a place where they shouldn't be.

"I suppose that's a blessing, all things considered," she said. 

They were still holding hands, but it seemed like a necessity of safety more than anything else. They were never more than an arms-length apart, neither of them willing to away from the other's touch. His hands were large, calloused, warm and about the only comforting thing in this disconcerting world. Hawke squeezed it within hers.

Sebastian turned around, looking surprised. Melissa gave him a small smile. 

"Let's talk more instead of just searching around here. I feel like all we're doing is growing more nervous and saying less."

Sebastian ran his free hand through his hair. He didn't look tired, not all, but there was a wariness about him, and Hawke could sense his growing anxiety. The same fear threatened to close in on her, but she bit it back.

"What shall we talk about?" Sebastian asked. She shook her head.

"Anything. Tell me your favorite color or the best thing that happened last month. I don't care."

Sebastian smiled at her, then carefully closed another door. "Let's just walk and talk then. My favorite color is blue. What's yours?" he asked.

"Nope, that's not really an answer. There are so many shades of blue. What kind of blue? Sedate navy blue, light sky blue - you have to describe the blue or it's not really an answer."

He chuckled, the sound warm and low and calming the rapid heartbeat in her chest. "I suppose it's like sky blue, though I do like the bolder, brighter ones as well. I'm partial to all shades of blue, even the dark ones."

"Mine is red, but a deep, bluish red. Crimson, specifically, but from time to time I do like the orangey tones of scarlet as well," Hawke said. Unexpectedly, Sebastian laughed again.

"You've put far more thought into this than I have," he confessed. "But it's nice to hear. So I believe your next question was what was the best thing that happened to me last month?" He paused, the two of them walking carefully down some stairs. When they were out of the door and on the campus grounds instead of enclosed in walls, he took a deep breath.

"It was a month like any other. I guess spring break is always the highlight, having time away from studies. I spent mine at the Chantry here. Grand Cleric Elthina has always welcomed me."

"You spent spring break at the Chantry?" she asked, raising her eyebrows incredulously.

"They are always in need of volunteers. Where did you go?" he asked. 

"No where. I had to work and then I spent time with my family. I moved out at the beginning of the school year, and it's still an adjustment. Even though I do like having my own space," she said. 

Sebastian grinned at her. "I believe it's my turn to ask questions."

"Make them good," she said.

They walked and talked for an indeterminate amount of time, linked arm in arm when they weren't holding hands. Sebastian was funny, in a wry, subtle way, and though she liked his sense of humor, she liked hearing his chuckle more. Melissa found herself hoping he would laugh at her few jokes, and felt him relaxing as they walked, though his wariness was never set aside as they made their way around the desolate buildings. He was certainly doing his part to cheer her up, offering up small stories and anecdotes about himself that always painted him in the most ridiculous light. He had a good sense of humor, and good company was all that she could ask for when trapped in a place like this. The empty campus didn't seem so menacing any more, but perhaps that was because they were busy exploring every corner of it. Some doors, mostly the offices, were still locked, but they were able to get in most everywhere. They were almost back to the science building when Melissa stopped dead, pulling Sebastian to her side with an urgent tug.

"Do you hear drum beats?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she listened.

Sebastian paused with his head tilted to the side. "Yes," he said finally.

"We should get back to the lab."

#

The veridium cube was sitting there on the counter, as if it had been there all along. They both knew it hadn't.

"Maybe it's powering up again," Sebastian said. Neither one of them moved towards it, but he knew he should probably pick it up again.

Melissa took his hand in hers. They sat down on the floor with the cube between them. Neither wanted to touch it, but Sebastian picked it up once, in case it was his touch that would activate it again. When nothing happened, they put it down and waited. The sound of beating drums grew louder and more rapid, but not as quick as she'd heard it before they he'd passed out.

After a while of waiting in silence, they resumed their questions. Melissa favored abstract, somewhat personal questions that made him think before answering. He liked to ask about her past and family, all the things he really didn't know much about at all. She asked the same of him, but they never spoke of anything too personal. Still, it was nice to know her better, and to see her interest in him.

She had someone in her life, she'd mentioned it once, but never who. It didn't matter. This was hardly the ideal place for launching a seduction, and yet, he couldn't help but wonder about how good they might be together. When he quieted, running out of questions, she didn't seem to mind. She'd just asked him what his favorite type of milkshake was, and he had to confess he hadn't had one before. Melissa had been aghast at the revelation. Hawke redid her messy, dark hair, pulling it into another loose bun on the top of her head. Then she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"No, just anxious. I hate waiting. I'd rather be doing, but in this case, I don't think we can rescue ourselves."

Sebastian slung an arm around her and let her settle in. He counted the space between the beats as they went by. When they got closer than a few seconds apart, he spoke up.

"Can't be long now. Here's hoping that wherever we're going this time, it's home."

"Here's hoping," she said and burrowed back into the crook of his arm.

#

This time it didn't make her feel faint, and she was aware of the magic as a feeling, but not exactly certain how it was working. It still felt like entropy, but this time as if the spell were inside out, not making her feel better, but definitely pushing instead of pulling. It contracted her limbs inward instead of feeling as if she were having them torn off. Still painful and unwelcome, but not quite as awful as the first time.

Isabela was the first face she saw when Hawke opened her eyes, concern marring her roommates pretty face. "Hawke, you're back!" she said, sounding far too relieved for Melissa's comfort. Isabela didn't worry, not if she could help it.

"Bela." Melissa reached up to hug her best friend. "What are you doing here?" Maker, it was so good to be back with other people. She hugged Isabela once more before letting her go.

"You've been missing for the last seventeen hours. I came here to find you, or you know, to wait for you to show up again once I realized what was going on."

"What is going on?" Sebastian asked from beside her. Melissa hadn't realized how close he was, but he was right next to her. Something about that made her feel less disoriented.

"We heard the trap," a voice explained. Melissa turned to see the other graduate student from earlier in the room with them, the one that had been talking to her teaching assistant while she'd conducted her experiments.

"What trap?"

"It's a demon trap, but since you two aren't demons, it couldn't hold you forever."

"We were caught in a science experiment?" she asked, anger rising.

"Yes, but you were always going to come back. A demon would have died in there, theoretically," her TA explained.

"And," Sebastian said, his words slow with a purposeful deliberation, "if there had been a demon already trapped in there, we would have been at its mercy."

No one could quite look at them directly after he said it, but Bela's eyes went wide. Voices started speaking all at once, each overlapping the other, creating confused noise disguised as a dialog of denials. It looked like half the department was in the room but only her professor was trying to speak over them all.

"It's not what you think. You were never in danger," Professor Grand said.

"I missed a day of my life and all you have to say was that we were always going to come back? It could have taken any amount of time!"

"Melissa," Sebastian tried to soothe her, but he wasn't managing to smooth all of the rage from his features. "They owe us an explanation, and I want to hear it."

Isabela spoke up unexpectedly. "Actually, I knew you were missing when you didn't come home after a few hours and your phone said you were still in the lab. When I came looking, they were already working to get you back."

Professor Grand stepped forward, his bland face full of tense worry. "Prince Sebastian and Serah Hawke, this was a terrible incident. An accident. No one realized that the piece was missing from the group. It was never intended to bring harm to people - human, elf or dwarf. Why, I'm not even sure a dwarf could have used it. In any case, we should keep you both at the hospital overnight."

"No thanks, I'll pass. I want to go home," said Melissa, daring anyone to argue with her as she glared at them. No one did. She turned to Sebastian. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. The few of his KSE brothers that were there looked relieved. She recognized one from her classes but didn't speak. She was still too shaken up to make small talk. He spoke to them, ignoring the stricken look shared by both the teaching assistant and professor. Bela rubbed her back in a soothing way, her hand making large circles between her shoulder blades. Melissa realized that they were too scared of what Sebastian, or his father, might do that they weren't about to argue with either of them.

"My brothers drove here. They can take us all home. I wouldn't feel right not making sure you're safely back where you're supposed to be," Sebastian said, looking at Melissa. Bela nodded at her.

"Let's go. I've spent enough time in this lab."

"Agreed," Sebastian said, and held out his arm to her. 

She took it, and noticed Bela's raised eyebrows, but didn't care. It was about the only comforting thing in that whole room. Bela grabbed her bag and one of the KSE brothers took Sebastian's things from where they'd put on the counter, carefully avoiding where the veridium cube had been. 

They walked out, leaving the professor, assistant and assorted onlookers behind. Melissa was sure that she'd get an A in the class, despite not finishing her experiments. She didn't really care as she walked with Sebastian through the halls, glad to hear sounds of people besides their group as they went through the building.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story after I wrote "Not A Kiss" which is technically the beginning of Melissa Hawke/Sebastian. Some of the continuity doesn't quite line up with Not A Kiss, but I like them both as they are and won't retcon them.


End file.
